In every culture, in every corner of the world, and in every city in Kansas, food guides the direction of the lives we lead. When love is flourishing, food is the compass. When words are not enough, food speaks. When families seek time and togetherness, food inspires.
Creating these moments is my world as the Director of Nutrition Services for Iola School District, and I take great pride and passion in using cuisine to impact lives. The upcoming bond questions have the potential to drastically transform our community, and it all starts with…breakfast?
The importance of a meal can be vastly underrated. We tend to count any food as such, but real meals happen on regular occasion and fuel both the body and mind. At school, meal-times offer students the opportunity to build relationships and strengthen social skills. Parents can take advantage of meal-time at home to be role models and set examples. Children absorb these examples and refine these social skills in society, heightening their sense of belonging and boosting self-esteem.
The role of the Food Service Department in any school is to facilitate this energy transfer from food to brain-fuel. Currently, our district kitchens suffer multiple challenges in this quest simply due to the way our schools are set up.
Communication regarding critical information such as allergies is a struggle as students progress through four different kitchen mangers and crews between grades K-8.
Food quality is a never-ending battle because food is transported twice daily to the three elementary schools that dont have their own cook-ready kitchens.
In order to feed these students on time, lunch must be coming out of the oven at the central kitchen (high school) more than an hour before it is actually served. Lunch is then portioned, packed, put into shipping containers, loaded onto a truck, driven to each school, unloaded, and unpacked into a serving station before being served.
Transporting this food provides a host of its own challenges including product control, equipment upkeep, increased district cost on wages and fuel, and an excessive amount of food waste.
The approval of bond questions 1 and 2 would put all the elementary students under one roof, with one communication channel, and one REAL kitchen; while providing the tools we need to feed students in Iola the meals they deserve.
As a community, we can make a difference. We can shepherd our students toward happier, healthier, higher-functioning bodies and minds. We can stimulate our local economy by achieving higher test results and attendance rates through proper nutrition. We can help families who spend precious time and money packing lunches by assuring them that every single day their child will have access to a full-size hot meal, and that it will be delicious.
I speak through food in my little corner of the world. I would love the opportunity to do the same for our children.
